Folding chair



A 4 A. A. MAURER 2,406,305

FOLDING CHAIR- I Filed May 13, 1944 v mvam-on.

Q/vr-o/v A7. Mnweze Rrvunum'rs Patented Aug. 20, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING CHAIR Anton A. Maurer, Green Bay, Wis., assignor to Norcor Manufacturing Company, Inc., Green Bay, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 13, 1944, Serial No. 535,437

4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in folding chairs with particular reference to chairs having divergent pivotally connected sets of front and rear legs, and means for limiting the range of their relatively swinging movement from a seat supporting to a folded or storing position.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved chair of the described type in which the leg connections not only provide a seat support, but the seat serves as a detachable 'connection between the front legs and the rear legs when the chair is unfolded and placed in position for use.

It is also my object to provide a chair which can be-foldedinto a fiat: package of minimum and substantially uniform thickness; to provide a seat and chair rail with means for snap connection, whereby it can be quickly folded and unfolded; to provide means for giving added permanence to such a connection after the parts have been snapped together; and, in general, to provide a sturdy folding chair of light weight and few parts, and which can be quickly and easily manipulated for either storage or use.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved chair as it appears when in a position for use.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of my unfolded chair, drawn on a. vertical plane between the paired front and rear legs and the central portion of the seat.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, drawn on a plane parallel to that of Figure 2 and intersecting one of the snap catches.

Figure 4 is a sectional view drawn on a plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the interlocking brackets with which the seat is equipped.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the severalvlews.

My improved chair has two front legs I0 and H which extend obliquely above the level of the seat l2 and have bevelled rear surfaces at the upper ends connected to a suitable back I3, preferably formed of plywood or laminated board. At the seat level these front legs are connected by a cylindrical rung l5. s

The rear legs I! and I8 are pivoted to the outer surfaces of the respective front legs II] and II at i9 and 2D, the pivot pins being located about midway between the seat and the lower margin of the back l3. The rear legs are connected imas indicated at 38.

mediately below the seat level by a cross bar 22 which is preferably rectangular in cross section and secured to the rear surfaces of the legs, as shown. Another cross bar 23 may connect the rear legs at a lower level.

The seat I2 is preferably plywood or formed-of laminated material, and where it crosses the rung IS a set of U-shaped metal brackets 25 are secured to its under surfaces near the side margins of the seat and embrace the rung l5, as shown, thereby forming a pivotal connection. Near the rear margin of the seat it is provided with a pair of metal brackets adapted to form part of snap fastenings or interlocking catch connections with the rear cross bar 22. Eachof these brackets has a flat end portion 30, provided with holes 3| through which screws, bolts, or rivets may extend to connect the bracket" with the undersurface of the seat. At its rear end each bracket has a. depending portion 32 provided with fork arms 33, each of which is reverse-' 1y bent at 34 to provide a rounded projection on its inner surface. These fork arms are adapted to engage a knob-like projection carried by sa d cross bar 22, as best shown in Figure 3. Preferably, the knob-like projection comprises a screw 36 having a head 31 between which and the bar 22 the fork arms 33 may extend until their rounded projections 34 pass with a snapping action below the heads of the screws. The material is slightly resilient, whereby the projections may be slightly flattened when passing the screw heads. Thereupon, if desired, the screw may be turned by an ordinary screw driver to clamp the fork arms firmly to the cross bar 22.

The extreme rear marginal portion of the seat will preferably be allowed to rest on the cross bar Therefore downward pressure of the seat need not be exerted upon the screws 36 or other projections carried by the cross bar 22 in positions for interlocking with the depending bracket arms 32.

When it is desired to fold the chair, the screws may be sufficiently unscrewed to allow the projections 34 to snap past the screw heads, whereupon the rear portion of the seat will be released so that it may be swung pivotally upon the rung E5 to a position substantially parallelwith the front legs, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2.

Inasmuch as the cross bars 22 and '23 are secured to the rear faces of the rear legs I! and I8, said rear legs may be folded to an overlapping position on the front legs, as also indicated by dotted lines in Figure-2.

Aside from the pivot pins or bolts and the connecting screws, the only metal parts of my improved chair comprise the U-shaped brackets 25 and the interlocking brackets having the fork 1 arms 33 for engaging the screw heads 31, or other knob-like projections on the cross rail or bar 22. It will be understood that when the members 35 are moved rearwardly to cause their tially at seat level adapted to support the rear margin of the seat in a position for use, a set of brackets depending from the under surface of the seat near its rear margin, and a set of adjustable headed projections on said cross connection adapted to clampingly engage said brackets to hold the seat and legs in position for use,

said brackets having forked lower ends adapted to straddle said projections in the rear of their heads and the fork arms, having reversely bent portions adapted to be urged past the heads of said projections with a snap action when the,

rear margin of the seat is swung downwardlytto saidfcross connection, said headed projections the rounded projections 34 to snap past the'heads i been unfolded to normal position for use.

I claim; 7 a 1'. A chair comprising a pair of bars intermediately' connected by a suitable rung and also at their upper ends by a chair back, the lower portions of said bars providing a set of front legs; a chair seat pivotally connected with said rung, a pair of rear legs having their 'upper'en'ds (pivotallyconnected'with the respective bars be- 1 tween the rung and the chair back and also havingcross connection with each other substantially at sat level adapted to support the rear margin Pof the'seat in" a position for use, a set of brackets depending 'frorn'the'under surface of the seat near its rearjmargin, and a set of adjustable headed projections on said cross ccpnnection adapted to 'clampingly engage said brackets to hold the seat and legs in position for use, said Ibrackets having forked lower ends adapted to straddle saidjproiections in the rear 'of their ,ilfl e tlisialldithe fork arms having reversely bent portions adapted'to be urged past the heads of saidprojections with a snap action when the rearmargin of the seat is swung downwardly tosaid cross connection.

I 2. Achair comprising a pair of bars intermedi- "atcly connected by a suitable rung and also at ftheir-npper ends by a chair back, the lower porftionsofpsaid bars providing a set of front legs,

a 'c hair seatpivotally connected with said rung,

1a pair of rear legs having their upper ends pivotally'connected with the respective bars between the rung and the chair back and also having. cross connection with each other; substanj of the screws independently of any clamping accomprisifls screws in threaded. engagement with said cross connection, whereby after said brack' ets-have been snapped into engagement with said. screw heads the latter may be turned into clamping engagement with the brackets above the re versely bent portions. I

a 3. A'chair, comprising'th'e combination of a pair of' front leg bars connected by a suitable run'g at chair seat level and extended upwardly with the upper ends of the bars connected by a chair back, a chair seat pivotally connected with said rung, a pair of rear legs having their upper ends pivotally connected with the respective bars 'betweenthe rung and the chair back and also having a seat supporting cross connection substantially at seat level, adjustable headed projections on the cross connection, and a set of brackets having forked arms depending from the under surface of the seat near its'rear margin in positions for straddling engagement with said projections back of the heads thereof, said projections being adjustable into and'out of clamping engagement with the fork arms. a

4. A'folding chair, comprising the c0mbination of upwardly convergent, pivotally connected front and rear legs, including a pair of front legs having a front cross connection at seat level and a pair of rear legs having a similar rear cross, connection provided with forwardly extending headed projections, a seat pivoted to the front cross connection having its rear portion movable into and out of contact with the upper surface of said rear cross connection, brackets secured to the rear portion of the seat and provided with depending resilient arms having rel versely bent lower portions in position to yield ingly engage and snap back of the heads of said projections when the seat is being swung to po-' 

